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Exclusive: LA’s Micheaux Film Festival will officially run at The Culver Theater in Culver City from October 21 to October 27 with a selection of short and feature projects with talent such as Viola Davis and Morris Chestnut. Scroll down to see the featured lineup.

The festival, launched by Courtney L. Branch and Noel Braham to honor the legendary Oscar Micheaux, celebrates its sixth anniversary this year. The festival’s theme will be Champions, a celebration of “the resilience and determination of filmmakers who overcome countless obstacles to bring their visions to life.”

This year’s lineup includes more than 250 short films, feature films, and new media series with additional projects screening virtually. Titles include The Ebony Canal, a 46-minute feature on Black infant mortality rates narrated by Viola Davis. Also screening is The Origin, a project produced by Morris Chestnut, and Tea, a short project from filmmaker Blake Winston Rice featuring Michael Gandolfini.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is available on Blu-Ray and DVD from 16th October, and on Digital Download from 17th October! To celebrate its release, we’re giving one lucky winner a copy of Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match on Blu-Ray!

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, the fourth animated film in the franchise, sees Johnny Cage in 1980s Hollywood on a mission to become a famous actor. However, his world soon changes when his co-star disappears, and he embarks on a journey filled with danger and deceit.

The film stars Joel McHale as Johnny Cage and Jennifer Grey as Herself. Also starring in the movie is Gilbert Gottfried as David Doubldy, Dusan Brown (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as Chuck Golden, Grey DeLisle (Teen Titans Go!) as Kia, Robin Atkin Downes as Shinnok and Zehra Fazal (Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe) as Jataaka.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is directed...

A select group of films has qualified for Academy Award consideration after winning prizes at the 27th LA Shorts Film Festival, the longest-running shorts festival in the movie capital.

Nowhere, directed by L.A.-based filmmaker Gavin Hovannisian, won the Best of Fest Award at a ceremony Sunday night. In the 11-minute narrative short, set in the fictional city of Nowhere, the protagonists are shadows that “dream of a life without their human masters.”

Also qualifying for Oscar consideration was It Takes a Village…, winner of Best International Film. Director Ophelia Harutyunyan’s drama “tells the story of Mariam, who lives in an Armenian Village where there are no men. On her birthday, her hopes of a reunited family are shattered, when she must put aside her own crushed dreams and help her friend Anush as she embarks into motherhood.”

Both Nowhere and It Takes a Village… are Armenian films.

Burbank, CA – Johnny Cage embarks on his biggest journey yet in Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match. The all-new, original feature-length film inspired by the best-selling worldwide videogame will be available to purchase on October 17, 2023.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, the fourth animated film in the franchise, sees Johnny Cage in 1980s Hollywood on a mission to become a famous actor. However, his world soon changes when his co-star disappears, and he embarks on a journey filled with danger and deceit.

Featuring a terrific voice cast, the film stars Joel McHale as Johnny Cage and Jennifer Grey as Herself. Also starring in the movie is Gilbert Gottfried as David Doubldy, Dusan Brown (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as Chuck Golden, Grey DeLisle (Teen Titans Go!) as Kia, Robin Atkin Downes as Shinnok, Zehra Fazal (Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe) as Jataaka, Gilbert Gottfried as David Doubldy, Kelly Hu as Ashrah,...

"Kick first, be awesome, make money." Warner Bros unveiled the official trailer at San Diego Comic-Con for the latest direct-to-video animated Mortal Kombat movie. This one is called Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, and it's the fourth animated Mortal Kombat Legends movie so far, after Battle of the Realms, Scorpion's Revenge, Snow Blind already. Neon lights, suits with shoulder pads, jumping from explosions in slow motion... In 1980s Hollywood, action star Johnny Cage (voiced by Joel McHale) is looking to become an A-list actor. But when his co-star, Jennifer, goes missing from the set, Johnny finds himself thrust into a world filled with shadows, danger, and deceit. As he embarks on a bloody journey, Johnny quickly discovers the City of Angels has more than a few devils in its midst. He must face off against a sinister secret society plotting a nefarious scheme, but the brutal fight against the bloodthirsty...

The Mortal Kombat franchise embraces a retro 1980s vibe with their next animated movie, titled Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match and coming home on October 17, 2023.

Johnny Cage embarks on his biggest journey yet in Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, the fourth animated film in the franchise, sees Johnny Cage in 1980s Hollywood on a mission to become a famous actor. However, his world soon changes when his co-star disappears, and he embarks on a journey filled with danger and deceit.

“In 1980s Hollywood, action star Johnny Cage (Joel McHale) is looking to become an A-list actor. But when his costar, Jennifer (Jennifer Grey), goes missing from set, Johnny finds himself thrust into a world filled with shadows, danger and deceit. As he embarks on a bloody journey, Johnny quickly discovers the City of Angels has more than a few devils in its midst. He faces...

While Shanola Hampton is most known for her role on Shameless, the actress played a small but important part in the crime drama Criminal Minds. The hit police procedural crime drama centers around the Behavioral Analysis Unit (Bau), a specialized FBI team who profiles criminals. Criminal Minds ran for 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020 on CBS before it was revived for a sixteenth season, titled Criminal Minds: Evolution, on streaming service Paramount+. Like most long-running shows the drama has gone through multiple cast changes like when Shemar Moore left Criminal Minds in season 11 and stopped playing Agent Derek Morgan.

Some of the recurring and guest characters that appear on Criminal Minds are the family members and romantic partners of the main Bau team. Because of the dangerous nature of their work, the agents in the Bau often have complicated personal lives. Not only does Criminal Minds show the emotional complexities the agents...

Warner Bros. Animation is keeping their series of R-rated animated films based on the Mortal Kombat video game franchise rolling at a steady pace. We got Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge in 2020, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms in 2021, and Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind in 2022. Later this year, they’ll be releasing Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match – and while the Motion Picture Association has confirmed they’ve given this one an R rating, IGN has learned that Joel McHale – who voices lead character Johnny Cage after also providing the character’s voice in Scorpion’s Revenge and Battle of the Realms – is joined by a voice cast that includes Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey – as herself!

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match has earned its R rating with “bloody violence and language“.

The film has the following synopsis: Neon lights… Suits with shoulder pads… Jumping from explosions in slow motion…...

John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman) is set to star opposite Honorary Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) in The Piano Lesson — a Netflix film adaptation of August Wilson’s classic play, which will mark the feature directorial and screenwriting debut of his brother, Malcolm Washington. Pic’s starry ensemble will also include Ray Fisher (Rebel Moon), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Michael Potts (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) and Corey Hawkins (The Tragedy of Macbeth).

Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson follows the lives of the Charles family in the Doaker Charles household and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor.

Virgil Williams (Mudbound) and Washington adapted the screenplay for the film, to be exec produced by Constanza Romero, Jennifer Roth and Katia Washington, which will mark the latest in a series of stage-to-screen adaptations of Wilson’s...

“Nomadland” was the big winner when we announced the 19th Annual Gold Derby Film Awards on Tuesday, April 20. It claimed four awards including Best Picture. Watch our 30-minute winner announcement above. Scroll down for our complete list of winners in all categories, which were decided by more than 2,500 of our registered users.

Chloe Zhao‘s film about a woman (Frances McDormand) coping with loss and looking for work as she lives out of her van was also awarded Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Zhao, in addition to Best Cinematography. But our Derbyites spread the wealth as four other films claimed multiple awards and 13 total films were honored across our 22 categories.

SEE2021 Oscar: Best Supporting Actor nominees have already set records

Though “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” wasn’t one of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture at these awards, it was the second biggest winner with three prizes: Best...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 SAG Awards Predictions:

Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role In A Motion Picture

Updated: Apr. 1, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: This is the place for Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) to cement her status as the one to beat since she won...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 SAG Awards Predictions:

Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role In A Motion Picture

Updated: Apr. 1, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: This is where we could see a curveball if Anthony Hopkins’ turn in “The Father,”, who has never won a SAG award,...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 SAG Awards Predictions:

Best Performance By A Cast Ensemble In A Motion Picture

Updated: Apr. 1, 2021

In the past, the perfect storm for a picture winner has been nominations in all three guilds’ top categories, in addition to nods at the Oscars in directing, writing,...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best Actor

Updated: Mar. 18, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: The SAG-nominated five ended up being the Oscar five, and the not-so-shocking but fair assumption is Mads Mikkelsen (“Another Round”) might have been the number six in the lineup. Steven Yeun is the first...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best Costume Design

Updated: Mar. 4, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: “One Night in Miami” is having a resurgence after being in the race and trying to sustain since the Venice Film Festival at the end of last summer. Ann Roth is on her way...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best Makeup And Hairstyling

Updated: Mar. 4, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: This category ended up taking a different shape than we thought, especially with “Promising Young Woman” out of the race. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” remains the presumptive favorite but this is one of...

When Ma Rainey's Black Bottom released last year, the absence of Chadwick Boseman during the press run was majorly felt. But it didn't diminish the awe-inspiring magic he managed to cast with his character of the trumpeter Levee Green. It was a role that has won the actor many accolades posthumously and last night, he received his first ever Golden Globe for Best Actor for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, an award that was accepted by his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, who also shared a moving Golden Globes speech in his memory. 

Chadwick Boseman died in August last year of colon cancer at the age of 43. While Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was yet to be released, he had finished shooting for the same even as he battled the complications arising from his debilitating cancer, underwent many surgeries as well as chemotherapy. Such was the dedication that Boseman possessed and it...

On Sunday night, the late Chadwick Boseman won a posthumous Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his role in George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. His wife, Taylor Simone Ledward accepted the award on his behalf, giving the most emotional speeches of the night which certainly brought so many people to tears as we continue to remember the actor who was taken from us too soon.

In tears, she said that Boseman would thank God, his parents, his ancestors for their guidance as well as Wolfe and his castmates Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige and Dusan Brown.

She continued, “He would say something beautiful; something inspiring; something that would amplify that little voice inside all of us that tells you: you can; that tells you to keep going; that calls you back to what you are meant...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Golden Globe Predictions:

Best Actress In A Motion Picture (Drama)

Updated: Feb. 24, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories have been...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Golden Globe Predictions:

Best Actor In A Motion Picture (Drama)

Updated: Feb. 24, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories have been...

by Nathaniel R

Taylour Paige and Dusan Brown aren't included in "Ma Rainey's" nomination

Each year when the SAG nominations for Outstanding Cast is named, we bemoan the rules which cause unneccessary exclusions. To be an official nominee you need to have your own title card. Having your own title card generally requires that you either already have a degree of fame, a strong agent if you don't, or a large role... so sometimes it excludes really crucial contributions to a movie. Everyone who doesn't get their own title card gets a certificate but they aren't officially "nominees" based on SAG's rules. This year, only Trial of the Chicago 7 (which has a giant cast) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (which has a very intimate cast) have really unfortunate exclusions...

Chadwick Boseman has been nominated for a Golden Globe. The late actor, best known for his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in movies like Black Panther, unexpectedly passed away last year after a long, secretive battle with cancer. But Boseman had one final great performance in the can before his passing with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which debuted on Netflix late last year. That performance has officially earned Boseman a posthumous nomination at the Golden Globes.

The full list of Golden Globe Awards nominees were revealed today. Chadwick Boseman was one of five actors to land a nomination in the Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama category. Nominated alongside Boseman are Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal, Anthony Hopkins for The Father, Gary Oldman for Mank and Tahar Rahim for The Mauritanian. It was also believed that Boseman had a legitimate shot at earning a Best Supporting Actor...

Director George C. Wolfe highlighted the kindness of the late Chadwick Boseman during Tuesday night’s Celebration of Black Cinema event. Wolfe recalled a moment while shooting “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” when all eyes were on 17-year-old actor Dusan Brown, who played Sylvester.

Co-stars Boseman and Viola Davis as well as producer Denzel Washington were all watching.

“[Dusan’s] nervousness took over and he was starting to freak out…Chadwick pulled him aside and said, ‘We are here for you. We are here to support you. This is your moment, and that’s why all of us are here.’ What an astonishing, incredible, generous thing for someone to do for another actor,” Wolfe said. “That was Chadwick. He was so present, not just as an actor, but present as a human being.”

The Critics Choice Association presented the Celebration of Black Cinema as a virtual ceremony to honor some of this awards season’s most visionary films,...

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom entered the awards race with impressive credentials. One of two films last year featuring the late Chadwick Boseman, George C. Wolfe’s Netflix film also reunites star Viola Davis with the work of playwright August Wilson, a winning combination that landed her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 2016’s Fences.

This time, the intimate setting is a Chicago studio in 1927, where blues singer Ma Rainey (Davis) and her band prepare for what will be a fraught recording session.

Coleman Domingo, who plays blues musician Cutler, explains during the film’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film award-season event that Wilson’s 1982 drama still has much to say about today. Referring to the assembled talent, he says, “Everyone here has been gifted with the tremendous responsibility to tell the story of Ma Rainey and her band and the blues. The blues is America. The blues is...

The new Netflix film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman in his final screen role, is a searing drama set in 1920s Chicago, based on a Tony-winning play by legendary playwright August Wilson. The 1982 show is part of Wilson’s 10-play “Pittsburgh Cycle,” a series of plays mostly set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, each in a different decade, that use families in that neighborhood (where Wilson himself was born) as the lens through which Wilson examines the Black experience in America throughout the 20th century.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the exception. Set in Chicago, it does not revolve around a family in the traditional sense but instead a band led by the title character (Davis), a fictionalized version of the real-life blues singer who was a pioneer in terms of both her professional and personal life. One of the first blues...

"I'm happy that I got to be a part of sharing his genius with the world." Netflix has released a featurette for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, a 1920s blues movie from filmmaker George C. Wolfe. The film debuts on Netflix today - and this final trailer is in memory of the talented Chadwick Boseman, who passed away this year. It's his final film and final performance. Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play of the same name. Viola Davis stars as "Mama Blues", also known as Ma Rainey, and Boseman co-stars as her horn player Levee; with Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Glynn Turman, Dusan Brown, and Taylour Paige. This trailer really makes me want to watch this film, but it also makes me really sad we won't ever see more great...

Leading the charge this week in streaming and specialty titles is Netflix with two films that have been garnering awards season buzz with their star wattage and prestige storytelling.

First up, is the highly anticipated Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom adapted from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson’s play of the same name. Set in 1920s Chicago the film spotlights the legendary “Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) and a band of musicians as they have a recording session amidst rising temperatures and tensions.

When the outspoken and fearless Ma arrives late, she has words with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious cornet player Levee (Chadwick Boseman) stirs the pot with his fellow musicians which results in revealing truths that changes the course in all their lives. On top of that,...

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. Cr. David Lee / Netflix

Chadwick Boseman’s last performance is opposite Viola Davis in a gripping drama based on August Wilson’s play, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Boseman gives a fiery, heartbreaking performance in this excellent film. It is as fine, and fitting, a final performance as one could hope for from the late actor.

Ma Rainey’S Black Bottom is set during a recording session in 1927, with blues legend Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) and her band, including new horn player Levee (Chadwick Boseman). As the band rehearses apart from the star, the conversation is wide-ranging, touching on human ambitions and the treatment of Black musicians by the white-dominated music industry in the 1920s. Meanwhile, the cagey star engages in power plays with the white recording studio manager and her own business manager, as well as her band, to stay in control of her career.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a powerful, slow-building, jangling film that’s full of life. It may feel loose, but from the script to the cast, there’s not an ounce of fat on it. When the time comes, it delivers a brutal gut-punch, and then one more for the road. Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis take up all the oxygen every time they’re in the room, which makes the anticipation of their eventual showdown feel breathless.

In sweltering 1927 Chicago, the legendary “Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) is in town to record an album; her panic-y white manager and production stooge buzz about, trying to control every aspect of the endeavor—the song list, the timetable, the pay—all while Ma and (most of) her accompanying band know who’s really in charge: Ma.

A real life singer from Georgia who made it big with Black audiences,...

Chadwick Boseman's final performance is a blistering, tour de force coda to his luminous career. He and co-star Viola Davis lead a superb ensemble in Netflix's adaptation of playwright's August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The film takes place in 1927 over the course of a tumultuous day at a steamy Chicago music studio. It is a fierce examination of racial injustice, social inequality, artistic freedom, and cultural exploitation. The songs of Ma Rainey, the legendary "Mother of the Blues", accompanies the pugnacious narrative like a stalking tiger.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom begins with a showstopping set at a raucous club. A glistening Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) wows the audience with her powerful stage presence. As her scantily clad dancers flaunt their assets, Levee (Chadwick Boseman), her brilliant new trumpeter, steps into the spotlight for an impromptu solo. He wows the crowd while catching the eye of...

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom director George C. Wolfe and screenwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson may not bring the same cinematic eye that Denzel Washington infused in his 2016 adaptation Fences, but their take on August Wilson’s 1984 play, tackling the 1920s in Wilson’s decade-spanning “Pittsburgh Cycle,” is a faithful one. Featuring standout performances by both Wilson stalwart Viola Davis as the titular Ma and Chadwick Boseman as her trumpet player Levee, the transition from stage to screen is a compelling one.

A reliably stoic actor in his sadly truncated career, Boseman steals the film, showcasing a twitchy high-wire act rarely seen in his previous work. He’s not only the best thing in the film, which also features Davis at her most flamboyant, but it’s the best work he’s ever done, a towering achievement in his final film role.

Liberally adapting the real Ma Rainey’s biography, Wilson’s...

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” opens with a thundering blues performance and ends with a gut punch. Both moments inject fresh energy and righteous fury into the 1982 August Wilson play that launched his 10-part Pittsburgh Cycle, but in between, the movie hews to more familiar turf. , director George C. Wolfe’s reverential adaptation livens up the material with sizzling color and vivid closeups. Save for a few digressions, however, Wolfe and screenwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson have put the play into the movie, rather than vice versa.

For Wilson devotees and newbies alike, that’s a sturdy enough combo to let this bittersweet ode to the Mother of Blues strut its stuff. The second adaptation of the Pittsburgh Cycle following Denzel Washington’s sturdy “Fences” treatment (he serves as a producer here), “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” embodies the frustrations of Black artists in a society rigged against them, with the boisterous singer and...

Legendary theatrical director George C. Wolfe launched his screen career with adaptations of plays for PBS series like “Great Performances” and “American Playhouse,” and he brings that same politely reverential energy to August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” But even if this version never shakes off its stage roots, it does act as a stately jewel box that houses an extraordinary ensemble of performances.

Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman get the meatiest roles here — and make the most of absolutely every second they’re on camera — but this Netflix feature is just as much a showcase for the talents of the always-brilliant Colman Domingo and the legendary Glynn Turman. Wolfe not only guides his top-flight cast to greatness, but he also keeps the plays themes of art vs. commerce and representation vs. exploitation front and center.

It’s 1927 Chicago, and legendary blues singer Ma Rainey (Davis) and...

Coming to Netflix on December 18 is the film Ma Rainey’S Black Bottom.

Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) — who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry — spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives.

This is not a biopic. While inspired by real life figure Ma Rainey, the film and the play are fiction.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Trailer — George C. Wolfe‘s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) movie trailer has been released by Netflix and stars Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Glynn Turman, Dusan Brown, Taylour Paige, Jonny Coyne, Jeremy Shamos, and Joshua Harto. Crew Ruben Santiago-Hudson wrote the screenplay for Ma Rainey’s [...]

Continue reading: Ma Rainey’S Black Bottom (2020) Movie Trailer: Viola Davis is the Mother of Blues in Chadwick Boseman’s Last On-screen Performance...

Netflix has debuted a new trailer for Chadwick Boseman’s last film before he sadly passed away ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’.

Adapted from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson’s play, Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis).

Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) — who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry — spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives.

Directed by George C. Wolfe,...

We have the first trailer for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. This one is heading to Netflix just in time for Christmas after making a limited run in theaters next month. It seems the streaming service may feel they have an awards season contender on their hands as it stars Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in his final movie role. Adapted from the famed August Wilson play, the movie "celebrates the transformative power of the blues and the artists who refuse to let society's prejudices dictate their worth." As we can see, it looks to be a poignant and musical look at the 1920s.

The trailer starts with a big band hitting the recording studio in the 1920s. We then get little views of what life was like back then, with the titular Ma Rainey recounting her love for the blues. We then get a feel for Chadwick Boseman's character,...

Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman star in the new trailer for the upcoming adaption of August Wilson’s play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which opens in select theaters this November before arriving on Netflix December 18th.

Davis plays the legendary blues musician and the film is centered around an afternoon recording session in Twenties Chicago during which Rainey grapples with her white manager and producer for control over her music and career. With Rainey running late to the session, tensions begin to rise among the musicians waiting for her,...

"Every colored man in the world got to do his part!" "And tell the white man just what he can do." Netflix has revealed the first official trailer for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, a 1920s blues movie from filmmaker George C. Wolfe. This is also the very last film starring Chadwick Boseman, who passed away this year. Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play of the same name. Viola Davis stars as "Mama Blues", also known as Ma Rainey, and Boseman co-stars as her ambitious horn player Levee. The excellent cast also includes Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Glynn Turman, Dusan Brown, and Taylour Paige. This looks tremendous, not only with tons of exceptional music but also a handful of superb performances that will make this a lively, exciting film to enjoy this fall.

Another big Netflix contender has thrown off the curtain of mystery today, folks. Yes, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the cinematic adaptation of August Wilson’s beloved play, now has a Trailer attached to it. The vehicle for Viola Davis has long been considered an Oscar player, but following the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman, it’s received an added degree of prestige allure to it. That being said, this Trailer does suggest that awards contention was always in its future, no matter the context. You can see the Trailer in all its glory below, but first, a bit of discussion (as always) is in order, so let us dive right in! The movie is a drama, adapted from the stage production of the same name. The official synopsis from Netflix is as follows: “Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as...

AFI Fest said Friday that it has added Regina King’s drama One Night in Miami to its lineup as the Centerpiece Drive-in screening, the only in-person screening at this year’s otherwise virtual edition set for October 15-22.

The move comes as the movie, which bowed at this year’s Venice Film Festival, gears up for its release in select theaters on December 25 via Amazon, which launches the pic globally January 15 on Amazon Prime Video.

King’s directorial debut, an adaptation of Kemp Powers’ stage play, takes place over one night with icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown examining the civil rights movement. Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge and Leslie Odom Jr star.

AFI Fest opens pens Thursday with Julia Hart’s I’m Your Woman and closes with Errol Morris’ My Psychedelic Love Story. Special presentations include the world premieres of Pink Skies Ahead,...

Netflix has debuted a number of first-look images from ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ featuring the late Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis.

Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) — who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry — spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives.

(L to R) Chadwick Boseman as Levee, Colman Domingo as Cutler,...

Chadwick Boseman may have left the realm of the living far too early at the age of 43, but the Black Panther star’s legacy will be further cemented with the release of his starring role in Netflix film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which will stand as his final onscreen performance.

Netflix has released the first images previewing Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a historical drama set in 1927 Chicago, in which Viola Davis co-stars as the eponymous Ma Rainey, a popular Southern singer dubbed the “Mother of Blues,” who’s come to the Second City for a crucial recording session; an endeavor complicated by her ambitious, machinations-making trumpeter, Levee (Boseman), and clashes with her manager—and other elements of the white-dominated music industry—over the creative direction of the music. The images can be seen just below.

Read more Movies Black Panther Director Pens Touching Tribute to Chadwick Boseman By...

Netflix has paused a virtual preview event that was set for Monday for its upcoming movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s death.

The movie based on the 1982 August Wilson play follows “The Mother of Blues”, played by Fences Oscar winner Viola Davis, who contends with her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control her in Chicago 1927. The pic reps one of Boseman’s final performances. The movie also stars Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige and Dusan Brown co-star alongside Grammy winner Branford Marsalis’ score.

Monday’s event was take place at 10Am Pst and entailed an exclusive first look and footage presentation of the pic’s director George C. Wolfe in conversation with Davis.

The movie was adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and produced by Fences Oscar nominees Denzel Washington and Todd Black.

Boseman died yesterday...

Dusan Brown has landed a lead role in Netflix’s “Black Bottom,” which also stars Viola Davis, Glynn Turman and Chadwick Boseman.

George C. Wolfe will direct while Todd Black, Dany Wolf and Denzel Washington will produce. Constanza Romero is executive producing. Academy Award winner Ann Roth is the costume designer and Branford Marsalis has been signed as the composer.

The story centers on Ma Rainey, the pioneering “Queen of the Blues,” while she was making a record in a studio in Chicago in 1927 with tensions boiling between her, her white agent and producer and her bandmates. The play on which the film is based won the 1985 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best American play.

Ruben Santiago is adapting the play.

Brown appeared in the 2013 film “42” opposite Chadwick Boseman, and has guest starred on shows including “iZombie,” “Community” and “The Big Bang Theory.” On the theater side,...

Exclusive: Taylour Paige, Jonny Coyne, Jeremy Shamos, and Dusan Brown have been added to the cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the Denzel Washington-produced Netflix adaptation of August Wilson’s 1982 play.

They are joining previously announced Oscar winner Viola Davis, Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman, Emmy winner Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts. George C. Wolfe, the director behind the Emmy nominated miniseries Lackawanna Blues and the Oprah Winfrey-starring HBO movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is directing this project.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson adapted the screenplay which follows Ma Rainey, the “Mother of the Blues,” and the tensions that boil over between her white agent, her producer, and her bandmates while making a record in a studio in Chicago, 1927.

The play opened at Broadway’s Cort Theatre in...

Exclusive: Here’s your morning report: A host of Broadway actors have been recruited for guest voice roles on Season 3 of Disney Junior’s The Lion Guard.

Among those headed from the Main Stem to the Pride Lands are Christopher Jackson and Heather Headley, who will perform a duet in reprising their respective roles as Makini the mandrill’s parents Fikiri and Kitendo from the original Lion King Broadway show. Also set are Michael Luwoye (Hamilton) as Askari, the original leader of the Lion Guard; J. Elaine Marcos (Gettin’ the Band Back Together) as Yuki, the matriarch of a snow monkey troop; and Kimiko Glenn (Waitress) as Chuluun, a cunning snow leopard. Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) also voices the recurring Lion Guard role of Dhahabum a golden zebra.

The Lion Guard continues the storytelling of The Lion King and follows the adventures of Kion (Max Charles), the second-born cub of...

Roar! Disney Junior has renewed The Lion Guard TV show for a third season. Season two of the series will premiere in the summer.The Lion Guard voice cast includes: Rob Lowe, Gabrielle Union, Max Charles, Joshua Rush, Atticus Shaffer, Diamond White, and Dusan Brown. Expect Renée Elise Goldsberry and Kristofer Hivju to guest star in season two.Read More…...

The Lion Guard is a somewhat surprisingly good show airing on Disney Junior, and the story of Kion and his friends continues with a new DVD release The Lion Guard: Unleash the Power.

The release is the first collection of episodes available on DVD, and it’s not only a good selection because these are episodes that focus on the individual members of the Guard, but because these are some of the series’ most rewatchable efforts.

The show is not just a fun adventure for kids, but the series takes on a broad range within its episodic content, tackling some tricky issues, without actually decoding its own efforts and bogging down in overt explanation.

For example, the episode Fuli’s New Family spans a variety of issues, but chief among them is an examination of the idea that just because doing something seems objectively “right,” or, “how friends act,...

James Earl Jones is continuing the circle of life, returning as Mufasa for "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar," on DVD February 23!

James Earl Jones returns to the role of Mufasa for Disney’s epic adventure “The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar,” a new feature on DVD February 23. Joining Jones is another Lion King alum, Ernie Sabella, reprising his role as Pumbaa, in this adventure full of humor, music, and beloved characters for the whole family. The film follows the second-born cub of Simba (voice of Rob Lowe) and Nala (voice of Gabrielle Union), Kion (voice of Max Charles), and his Lion Guard team up as they embark on adventures together throughout the Pride Lands! Follow him as he brings together a group of unlikely heroes: Bunga the honey badger (voice of Joshua Rush), Fuli the cheetah (voice of Diamond White), Beshte the hippo (voice of Dusan Brown...